The church which should save Erdogan

Kredittgjeld? This will save you thousands

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decided that the Hagia Sophia to be mosque. It doesn't help that the EU, the UN, the united STATES, the pope, and the whole of the orthodox christianity, protesting. For there is something of Erdogans points, that it should protesteres. That is when the country is standing in front of his second round of economic recession in two years. Then are few things so attractive as to offer the people is a small fist fight with the outside world. External enemies, it has to be blessed unifying. So, run the mosque.

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When the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom in Greek) was completed in the year 537 was she as a wonder of the world. She was an architectural sensation with its huge churches were, and much larger than st. peter's in Rome at the time. When the emperor Justinian, who got the church built, the first time went into the finished church, so should he have said the following: "Solomon, I have outdone you." He referred to king David's son Solomon, who had built the temple in Jerusalem. For the Hagia Sophia, emperor Justinian, the city of Constantinople - as the city was then called, and Byzantium, did the Jerusalem in glory. And maybe also in holiness.

When tsar Vladimir would choose the religion for the first east-slavic statsdannelsen Kiev Russ at the end of the 900's, so he chose the faith they had in Byzantium. It was allegedly after that his diplomats had traveled Europe round, and prepared reports about the spiritual and political conditions. The report from the Hagia Sofia was like this: "We did not know where we were. In heaven or on earth". The Russian orthodox church is today the largest of the orthodox churches. And Hagia Sophia is its church.

The soon 1500 years the old church has followed the fashion in his long life. First she was the center of a christianity which in its mysticism, exceeded the one found in the west, in Rome. Spirituality as the sources describe from Byzantium was literally of another world, and people and omgangsformer was characterized by the fact that people were prepared on the day of judgment would come in the morning.

So was the Hagia Sophia , the scene itself for kirkesplittelsen between the eastern church and the western church - the great skisma - in 1054. It was then that the patriarch and the pope excommunicated each other in the bann, and Europe was culturally and historically shared in a way that still largely characterizes the continent. One expression of the division and uforsonligheten was that Hagia Sophia was plundered by the crusaders from the west in the early 1200s. Another expression that is also today's Russia is both a challenge and the challenge for modern Europe. The Hagia Sophia was central to everything.

So was the Hagia Sophia mosque when osmanene and sultan Mehmet ii took Constantinople in 1453, and the beautiful mosaics of Mary and the child, and the apostles, was obscured. Of blygsel, one can imagine, for not to would see it as now unfolded in the church. But in reality, as they were covered because islam does not allow the imaging of the people in their mosques. In 1934, Hagia Sophia was converted into the museum, and the mosaics that in 500 years had been covered, could again see the light, because modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk wanted a modern and secular state. And now the old lady, therefore be traced back to what she originally was, namely the mosque. In a politicized action, as she has experienced so many times in the past.

Erdogan reopens landmark for muslims Dagbladet Plus

President Erdogan says that the Hagia Sophia open as a mosque on Friday, 24. July. And although the church no longer will be a museum, so it will be open even outside of bønnetidene. The top religious authority in Turkey made it is clear that the christian icons and mosaics will not be removed, but they will be covered by curtains during prayers. When there is time of prayer, they will be open for people to look at. It is also clear that the Hagia Sophia will be open to people of all faiths. How this will be for the tourists when the world even opens up again, will be a challenge. For every day of the year - before coronaen hit us - as it has been long queues of tourists who want to see the miracle of Hagia Sophia. And until further notice so, it is not clear which belief system "tourists" ,.

It is clear is that the Hagia Sofia's conversion is all about politics. In a time of economic tightening, as is the increasingly authoritarian Erdogans obvious grip to hold on to the popularity, to resort to nationalism and religion. The church conversion is popular in Turkey, although many gjennomskuer they obviously populist aspects of Erdogans grip. And mon faith is not also god - if he now exist, and are christian or muslim - gjennomskuer politics in today's Turkey?

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